To Preclude Destiny
by whimsicalbubbles
Summary: AU A young bounty hunter receives Anakin Skywalker as payment from Gardulla the Hutt. On discovering his high midi-chlorian count she gives him to the Jedi. Anakin is raised in the Jedi Temple, enabling him to accept and live the Code, preventing his fall to the dark side.
1. Chapter 1

Raja kept her voice low, ensuring the mammoth Hutt slithering behind her wouldn't hear. "Name?"

The slave woman looked up, startled, tears filling her eyes.

The small knot of worry tightened in Raja's chest. She focused on adjusting the toddler in her arms to buy a few more precious seconds. "What's his name?" she murmured, her voice gravelly from her helmet's distorter.

Understanding filled the older woman and she whispered back, "Anakin. Anakin Skywalker."

Raja nodded once and stood. "He'll be okay." It wasn't much, but it was all she could offer the desperate woman whose child she was now taking. The slave nodded once, gratitude in her eyes, even as sorrow over losing her son sent tears down her cheeks.

Raja turned, balancing the toddler on her hip and stalked toward the exit. She could sense Gardulla the Hutt watching her, seeing if she was satisfied with the bargain. At the door, Raja paused and turned her head back toward the greedy creature behind her.

"I have business to finish elsewhere," she said, her voice hard. "Shall we conclude ours?"

A warbling laugh sounded from the creature. It seemed they were both pleased with their bargain. She tightened her grip on Anakin Skywalker and walked through the door.


	2. Chapter 2

The ship was ancient and decrepit, fitting in perfectly with its arid surroundings. It was a piece of junk that would probably never die, just continue to get more and more out of date.

"One day," Raja mused. "I'll invest in an upgrade. When the credits and bounties come a bit easier." But for now, she would make do with what she had.

Her mood had soured during the long walk from Gardulla's lavish home as she grappled with the wailing toddler. Anakin had been throwing a tantrum of extraordinary proportions since he'd been taken from his mother. Screaming, crying, kicking and hitting, and generally making his displeasure known. Raja didn't have a lot of experience with children, but she was sure that they weren't usually this bad. It was a small miracle she had gotten him back to the ship without being stopped.

Even as she lowered the boarding plank, his wails continued. The young bounty hunter grit her teeth as she hauled the boy into the ship. It was small, with little room to spare, so there would be no escaping his relentless cries.

Raja wrestled the boy into a seat and strapped him in as best she could. Once the child was sufficiently restrained, Raja went to the cockpit to initiate takeoff. Carefully guiding the ship, she left the dusty planet behind. As they left the atmosphere and sped through space, she hesitated, trying to decide what to do next. She'd wanted to leave Tatooine as fast as possible, but she didn't know where to go next. Originally she'd planned to lay low until another promising bounty came along, but now she had custody of a young slave boy.

Raja sighed, leaning back in her chair and letting her eyes close. She was young and struggling to get by. She couldn't take the child. She didn't want to. She wasn't qualified to care for him long-term and she wasn't willing to make the sacrifices needed for Anakin to have a quality life.

She let the problem swirl around her brain, trying to find a solution. Anakin's screams provided a background cacophony that wasn't doing much to help. Eventually, his tantrum began to abate, his cried turning into exhausted whimpers.

Raja took a deep breath and held it for several moments, then released it slowly. Before she could second guess her decision she began putting the coordinates in for Corellia. She'd just have to take it one step at a time. And the first step would be getting the kid into the Republic system discretely and she had plenty of contacts in Corellia. She didn't want any authorities looking too closely at them, as she was little more than a child herself.

Once they were safely in hyperspace Raja went back to where Anakin was crying softly to himself. He reached for her, willing to forgive her, his desire for human comfort overpowering his indignation and fear. Raja released a breath in a light sigh before turning to remove her helmet. She set it down and ran her fingers through her short hair. It was damp with sweat. Usually, her helmet kept her cool, but Tatooine proved to outmatch its capabilities. Turning, she released Anakin and allowed him to climb into her arms. He held her tightly and his whimpers quieted. Raja sat, holding the child gently, if awkwardly. She held him as he settled into sleep, her mind planning their next steps.

_**Author's Note:**__ My apologies for the delay in getting this chapter out. I wasn't originally planning it and it was giving me problems, but I felt it was essential to give more insight into Raja's character. Please remember that she's a young teenager who has been alone most of her life. I have the next few chapters drafted so they should be published soon. Any feedback is appreciated._


	3. Chapter 3

The young government official gave off the air of shadiness. She predicted he would be caught within a few standard months, not due to lack of skill, but simply because he looked the part. Appearances were everything in this line of work. Those who didn't fit the part often had to compensate with brute force. It was the main reason why she worked in full armor and helmeted. A teenage girl would rarely be taken seriously. But an armed figure with an unknown face? Fewer people would try to take advantage. The few who did were persuaded otherwise when the brutal force came into play.

"You want me to set up an identity for the kid?" Even his voice was grating. "It'll take some work to make sure it won't set off any red flags. You got the credits for it?"

If only could see her face; he would be quaking under her death stare. "Do not take me for a fool," Raja said, her words clipped. "For such a young child, the process will be relatively simple. The biggest challenge will be the medical portion which the droid will handle."

His eyes narrowed, but she spoke before he could open his mouth. "50 credits for your work…and 50 for the droid's." Raja let her right hand drift casually to her side. She didn't touch the weapon there, but the threat was implied.

His jaw clenched, but he grunted his agreement. Raja watched as he worked, bypassing the security measures and taking down the safeguards meant to prevent such unauthorized activity. He glanced at her occasionally, eyes probing. She would be a statue if not for the sleepy toddler wiggling in her arms.

"Kid got a name?"

"Anakin Skywalker."

"Date of birth?"

She paused, unsure. "We will let the droid estimate that," she said after a moment, her voice neutral.

He glanced at her, suspicious, and then shrugged his shoulders. "You got a place of birth?"

"Tatooine."

"Mom?"

Another blow. "Unknown."

"Dad?"

"Unknown."

He snorted. "Current guardian?"

She hesitated before replying, "None."

The official snorted again. "Relatively simple, my butt. This would be ringing all sorts of red flags if it weren't for me. I should be charging you more."

"If you fail at renegotiations, you may end up with less than you have now."

He snorted again, and she clenched her jaw. It would be absurd for her to lose her temper over such an inconsequential thing, no matter how irritating it was. "All right darling. Let's get the droid ready to go so this can be done."

He stood and prepped the droid. When he was ready, she approached and held the toddler's hand firmly so the droid could prick his finger. Anakin wailed loudly as though he had lost a limb. She wasn't fooled. After a week with him, she understood well enough that he simply didn't do things halfway. If he was upset, he wailed. If he was happy, nothing could keep him down. And he could switch between the two in the blink of an eye.

The official didn't seem to see it that way. "Shut the kid up, will you? I'm trying to work, and he'll wake the city."

She didn't deem his complaints worthy of a response but merely rocked the boy until his sobs subsided and he drifted off again. She watched the man continue to fill the forms and check the medical information as it came in. He snorted again and she wondered idly if he had something stuck up there. "Kid's got a high midi-chlorian count. That or my system broke."

Raja's eyes narrowed as she studied the reading thoughtfully. Even after the official had moved on, she contemplated this new information. If Anakin was Force-sensitive, then perhaps the Jedi temple would be willing to take him. He should be young enough. Even if they didn't want him, they could probably find him a good home. Better than she could.

She'd only spoken with a Jedi once, and he had been a young Padawan. It had been more than two years since she'd met him in a dark alley on her home planet. Hesitant to trust her, but desperate to find his master, he had been kind to her after his initial distrust. He'd told her to reach out to him if she ever needed help. This situation certainly qualified. She was well out of her league and in any case, this seemed to overlap onto Jedi territory.

Her attention was drawn back by the official's huff of satisfaction. "He's in the system and it looks like he always has been. No red flags. Thank me later swee–"

"Finish that endearment and you will regret it."

His mouth clamped shut and he glared. "I have one more job for you," Raja said. "200 credits." He perked up, his eyes lighting up with greed. She smiled under the helmet. "I need you to locate the Jedi Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi."

**_Author's Note:_**_ I am making the assumption that the temple records can be accessed/hacked by outside sources. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! Please keep giving me feedback!_


	4. Chapter 4

Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi wasn't able to shake the nagging feeling that something was missing. Their mission had been simple and straightforward for once, and they were scheduled to leave the small moon within the hour. He should be excited to return home, but even the thought of leaving filled him with a strange ache that had nothing to do with the muggy planet or its strange people.

"Padawan," a quiet voice called.

Obi-Wan turned and bowed to his approaching master. Qui-Gon Jinn appeared at ease, nestled comfortably in the Living Force that he loved so much. "Master Jinn," Obi-Wan said respectfully.

Qui-Gon smiled serenely as he took in the landscape before them, a small village nestled in the embrace of gently rolling hills. "We need to depart. Are you ready?"

Obi-Wan's gut clenched at the question. Here he should relay a suitably respectful affirmative, but the words wouldn't leave his mouth. They couldn't leave yet.

"Obi-Wan?" He glanced up at his master's voice before returning his gaze to the village. He let it rest there for several moments as his resolve hardened. "Master…" he started, before stopping hesitantly. Sensing Qui-Gon's gaze, he took a deep, cleansing breath before releasing his uncertainty into the Force and turning to face his master. "Master, I do not believe that we should leave yet."

Qui-Gon considered his words, his eyes narrowed. Obi-Wan continued, "I feel very strongly that we should wait here a little longer. I don't know why, but I feel that it is of great importance."

He waited patiently as Qui-Gon studied him. When his master nodded his acquiescence, Obi-Wan couldn't help but let out a breath of relief. "Very well, Padawan. I trust your feelings on the matter. We will wait for one day."

Obi-Wan nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Master."

Qui-Gon smiled before continuing. "I will let you inform the Council of our delay."

It was a small price to pay. Obi-Wan nodded in agreement, before turning to stroll back to the ship to make the communication. "Hurry," he thought. "Whatever it is, please hurry."

_**Author's Note:** Sorry for the delayed update. I keep getting distracted and neglecting this story. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!_


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